The Bell Witch HauntingThe Bell Witch Haunting is one of the strangest
and most well-documented hauntings in American history, and for good reason.
It stands out in several areas of paranormal research, and includes many
features not ordinarily present in classic haunting activity. As such,
this particular haunting deserves a very close look by anyone serious about
seeking out and visiting haunted places.

The
story of the Bell Witch is a rather long one which can be read by doing
a search anywhere on the internet, so we will just stick to the basics of
why this is such an important haunting for the purposes of this page. During
this particular haunting (which lasted for a surprisingly long time), many
phenomena were observed that do not fit easily into the standard mold of
hauntings or spirit entity behavior. Anomalies included sightings
of strange animals, disembodied voices, personal attacks on people, loud
laughing and singing, and actual bodily harm to the residents of the Bell
household - culminating in the death of John Bell. This entity revealed
a real intelligence, and vacillated from being compassionate to being quite
vicious in rather short periods of time. Many reputable people of
the era witnessed these strange happenings first-hand, including Andrew
Jackson.

Because
of the longevity of this particular haunting, the site on which it is located
- a very old Indian burial ground - the odd mix of actual supernatural phenomena
that occurred there, and the odd things that still happen there today, this
is one site that may very well serve as a doorway or "portal" to another
dimension. The actual
site of this portal may be at the entrance to the cave pictured above, somewhere
inside the cave, or at the Indian burial ground located on a hill above
the cave, also pictured here. The cave itself was not directly implicated
in the hauntings, but seems to be a hotbed of paranormal activity, even
today, with many reports of cameras breaking, film rewinding, and (for cameras
that do survive) pictures with odd figures or lights in them.

On
a personal note, we were in the area recently and had the opportunity to
visit the Bell Witch Farm and take some pictures. We took both the
tour of the cabin, and the cave tour. The cabin tour is a tour of
a replica of the homestead that John Bell lived in. This is somewhat
interesting from a historical perspective, but from a paranormal perspective
was disappointing because it is not on or very near the site of the original
homestead. You go into this cabin and a bored-looking guide plays
tapes in every room that detail the haunting and the reactions of the family.
Overall, kind of hokey, but it does give an idea of what life was like in
the era of the haunting. The cave tour was better. This is a
rather primitive cave tour, so be sure to wear shoes you don't mind getting
wet and bring some extra socks for later. The guide was informed and
interesting, and although my camera worked just fine throughout the tour,
there were a couple of times I felt that I caught shadows out of the corner
of my eye. I would have liked to go to the Indian burial site at the
top of the cliff pictured above (this picture was taken from the mouth of
the cave, looking up and away from the cave), but that tour wasn't offered
during our time in the area. Apparently, they have more comprehensive
tours on and off, so do call ahead or go to their website to make the most
of any planned visit. Also, watch the weather, as the cave floods
after heavy rains and there are no tours until the water clears.

Adams, Tennessee is located in
Robertson County, approximately 30 miles north of Nashville. The Bell
Witch Cave is open from May through October. For more information
call (615) 696-3055.